


Male Bonding

by Creed Cascade (creedcascade)



Series: Telepathic!Jim Verse [1]
Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Academy Era, Alternate Universe, Established Relationship, M/M, Starfleet Academy, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-06
Updated: 2011-11-06
Packaged: 2017-10-25 18:52:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/273597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creedcascade/pseuds/Creed%20Cascade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jim Kirk puts a new spin on male bonding.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Male Bonding

[Year One at Starfleet Academy]

Christopher Pike looked up from his desk when he heard the insolent cough from the doorway. Standing there was a cadet who had managed to respond to an order to report to a superior officer by being half an hour late.

“Cadet McCoy…”

“Doctor McCoy,” McCoy corrected automatically. “Sir. You summoned me.”

McCoy managed to make the traditional title of respect sound like an insult.

“I can do that. You’re late.”

“I had rounds to finish.”

“Close the door.”

McCoy closed the door using more force than was necessary. His red uniform was presentable enough, but the five o’clock shadow on McCoy’s jaw gave him a gruff appearance. When he took a seat without invitation, he slouched in a way that echoed Jim Kirk.

“Am I on report?” McCoy demanded.

“No.”

“Then why am I here?” McCoy tapped his boot on the floor absently.

“I was just reviewing your file, Doctor. Top of your medical class.”

“That’s not hard when the rest of them are barely more than ankle biters. Infants, the whole lot of them.”

Pike had to repress the urge to counter that McCoy was an ankle biter of his own in the Captain’s eyes, and too young to be playing the bitter, old man card. Cranky seemed to be the man’s permanent state of existence. The most polite nickname the medical staff called him behind his back was ‘Doctor Grumpypants’.

“Whatever the case may be, you’re still excelling in your program to the chagrin of the naysayers who challenged your admittance.”

McCoy folded his arms over his chest and his scowl deepened. “I’m damn good at what I do.”

Pike tapped the corner of the datapad he was holding the desk. “I want Kirk…” He noticed McCoy’s expression turn murderous before he finished, “… on my ship. After he graduates, I want his first posting to be on the Enterprise as tactical officer. He can cut his Command teeth as a Lieutenant on Starfleet’s flagship.”

McCoy dropped his gaze down and his bangs fell in front of his eyes. “The kid would like that.”

“But, I have a problem.”

“What’s that?”

“On your application you requested a land based posting.”

“I hate space.”

“You don’t say,” Pike responded in a sardonic, dry tone. “I sort of figured that out when you punched the drill instructor on your mandatory high altitude jump.”

“I’m not dumb enough to want to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft.”

“And yet you managed to make the jump.”

When the instructor had tried to manhandle the doctor towards the jumping platform, McCoy had punched the giant of a man in the jaw. The only thing that kept the instructor from pressing charges afterwards was Pike’s reminder of a favour he owed the Captain. Pike damn well knew that Kirk had bullied and all but pushed McCoy out of the aircraft. The drill was mandatory for all Starfleet personnel and Kirk wasn’t about let McCoy wash out. Pike also knew that Kirk tracked down the instructor a few hours later and verbally threatened him if he so much as blinked at McCoy. It was one of the first clues that Kirk was a possessive bastard when it came to the man he called Bones.

“What does all of this shit have to do with…”

“Stop!” Pike cut off the rant before McCoy got a chance to get started. He knew that once the good doctor got worked up, stopping him was an issue, if not impossible. “It all has to do with Kirk.”

McCoy crossed his arms over his chest. “Then talk to Jim.”

“It also has to do with you. Seems whenever I get a formal or informal report concerning Cadet Kirk, you seem to be involved. Some good, most are… questionable.” He tapped the screen of the datapad. “Bar room brawls.”

“Misunderstandings.”

Pike’s eyebrow arched. “Reports of insolence?”

“From undoubtedly ignorant people who deserve a good verbal smack down.”

“Drunk and disorderly behaviour?”

“Never on duty and never in class. Jim ‘n’ I both have perfect marks,” McCoy countered.

“Noise complaints in residence?”

A smirk tugged at the corner of McCoy’s mouth. “That’s not me.”

“Too much information, Doctor.”

“The boy’s a screamer.”McCoy hint of a smirk turned into a full blown smug leer. “You’re talkin’ about Jim’s penchant for singin’ along to that horrible classic rock music he likes, right?

Pike rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

McCoy was fooling no one with his attempt at laying claim over Kirk. The mutual obsession they shared was equally dysfunctional and disturbing, but Pike was envious of the loyalty they inspired in each other. He was pretty sure that it was enough for McCoy to follow Kirk into space because there was no grounding the golden boy. Pike didn’t want to think of the shit Kirk would cause without McCoy to rein him in.

“I’m not looking to fuck George Kirk’s boy.” McCoy shot to his feet and Pike sighed, “Christ, sit down. I didn’t call you here for a pissing contest.”

McCoy remained standing and glared at Pike. “Am I dismissed?”

He made the question sound like a demand.

“I know you’re a package deal. I want Kirk on my goddamn ship and getting a top notch doctor in the mix, even if he’s a righteous bastard, is a winning combo.”

“This isn’t a conversation I want to be having with you.”

“Well, tough luck, McCoy. I called you here not only as a Captain, but as a…” When he saw McCoy’s cheek twitch he knew the man was ready to tear him a blue streak. “Shut up. This is about both of your futures.”

“Nothin’ you can say will get me to…”

“Kirk’s a telepath.”

McCoy blinked a moment, his mouth opening slightly in shock, then he sat down hard in the chair.

“Bullshit,” he grunted.

“I got a visit from a pissed off Betazoid professor wanting to know why…” Pike made the action of air quotes. “…quote ‘delightfully intense sex-on-legs cadet’ unquote, wasn’t in one of her telepathic instruction classes.”

“Jim’s not a telepath.”

“Declaring any extrasensory abilities is voluntary when joining Starfleet, though strongly encouraged. Kirk’s never been tested.”

“‘Cause he’s not a mind reader. Boy can be as dense as…”

“You?” Now it was Pike’s turn to smirk. “Even you can’t deny he’s intuitive. I’m guessing whatever talent he has, it’s subconscious. It would be why he’s so good at what he does. With his scary intelligence and this, whatever it is, he can grasp a hundred possible outcomes and calculate, or sense, the best action to take. He can avoid those no-win scenarios he doesn’t believe in.”

“He’s had enough crap thrown at him and made enough batshit crazy, bad decisions to prove you wrong.”

“I’m not saying it’s full proof. No one’s omnipotent. It may only come out in life threatening scenarios. Besides, I said I don’t think he knows he’s doing it and I’m not saying we should even tell him we suspect.”

McCoy wanted to call Pike on lying, but he couldn’t deny that it would explain a lot. There was no denying that Jim was special. His friend had an indefinable quality. There were times when McCoy would be thinking something, usually dirty thoughts, and Kirk would have a knowing leer. It had always been spooky, but it was a part of Jim.

“Maybe he simply has a horse shoe shoved up his ass,” McCoy reasoned in an unconvincing tone.

Pike wasn’t going to rise to the opening left by the mention of anything being shoved in any orifice. “I know you’re not going to discuss Kirk with me. You’re too loyal. But, I think you can discuss how this development affects you.”

“He’s my friend.”

Pike seemed to ignore the stubborn restatement of the obvious and continued on. “How the Betazoid professor detected anything unusual about Kirk is the most unusual thing of all. She met you on the ward while taking a group of student mental healers on a tour. Do you remember such a meeting?”

McCoy had a vague memory of a female dressed in loud clothing and followed by a gaggle of insipid granola munching head doctors. He had literally bumped into her and he could remember more than anything her deep black irises.

“She knows of Kirk.”

“Who doesn’t know about Jim?”

“She sensed him on you,” Pike said and tapped the side of his own head for emphasis. “Mentally.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Kirk has apparently left his mental marking on you. You might as well have a big flashing yellow sign over your head that reads, ‘Property of James Tiberius Kirk. Trespassers Beware.’ She found that interesting since humans aren’t supposed to be able to do such things.”

“Liar.”

“I really don’t care. It’s not going in his file, or yours. I made sure the Betazoid will keep quiet. I thought you had the right to know. And, I’ll leave it up to you if you want to talk to him about it or not. To put this into perspective, I suspect the development of this… whatever it is, probably has something to do with that daunting brain of his and Tarsus IV.”

The last two words cut through McCoy’s anger. Everyone in the Federation knew about what happened on Tarsus IV. Kodos the Executioner. Genocide. And a young Jimmy Kirk had lived through it. Jim had two anniversaries where he got drunk to the point of verging on, or surpassing alcohol poisoning. His birthday, and the anniversary of the so-called ‘Liberation of Tarsus IV’. McCoy and Kirk never talked about those nights afterwards. In the morning McCoy would give Kirk something to sooth his hangover without grumbling or lecturing, pressing the hypospray painlessly into the younger man’s neck and kissing his cheek gently.

“People need hard times and oppression to develop psychic muscles. An early American poet, Emily Dickinson, said that once,” Pike’s tone was barely above a murmur. “Kirk was likely deemed one of the genetically superior not only for his high intelligence. If he doesn’t want to admit what he can do, then I figure he has a reason and I respect that.”

They were both silent and McCoy hung his head. Finally, with a heavy sigh McCoy ran his fingers through his hair and huffed, “He was probably born this way just to piss me off.”

Pike barked out a laugh. “Now that I can almost believe!”

McCoy did not lift his head, but mumbled. “Mentally marked me?”

“As good as a dog’s favourite chew toy.”

Now McCoy looked up to scowl at Pike and see the other man grinning. “If this was true, which I’m not saying it is…”

“A theoretical conversation?”

“Yeah, whatever,” McCoy grumbled. “I don’t hold any belief in this head voodoo mumbo jumbo. But, if Jim was different… you would keep his secret?”

Pike nodded. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because Starfleet needs him. God help us all, but he’s destined for great things. That’s why we’re having this conversation. He’s destined for great things, but he needs people to make sure he doesn’t get himself killed or court marshalled on the way to greatness.”

“You’re giving me a fuckin’ headache. Don’t give me this destiny crap. He’ll do what he likes, when he likes. That’s his nature.”

Pike’s grin got larger. “Chew toy.”

“Fuck off, Christopher.”

Pike’s expression got more serious. “I think I already know the answer to this question, but I need to hear it from your own insubordinate lips. Are you okay with sticking by his side with everything it entails?”

“Too late.” McCoy snorted under his breath. “Should’ve asked me that before I threw up on the kid.”

“It’s not going to be an easy road, Doctor,” Pike warned. “He has a universe full of issues.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“Now, I’m going to speak as Christopher and not as a Captain.” Pike strummed his fingers on the desktop. “Monogamy hasn’t been his forte.”

McCoy’s gaze narrowed. “That’s none of your business.”

Pike ignored McCoy once again. “He’s going to take a lot of training. I hope you’ll have him at least housebroken by the time you’re serving on my ship.”

“We’re not married,” McCoy snapped.

“Uh huh.” The ‘yet’ was implied. “Truth is I’m not exactly sure what James T. Kirk is, or what exactly he is capable of. Though, I’m pretty sure that whatever he does, you’ll be by his side playing Hephaestion to his Alexander.”

“Didn’t I tell you I don’t subscribe to all this mystic bullshit? I’m Jim’s friend. The end.” McCoy stood up and pointed at the closed office door. “I’m leaving now, so you can either dismiss me or write me up for insubordination.”

“If I wrote you up every time you were insubordinate, then you’d permanently be in the brig.” When McCoy hand was on the doorknob, Pike said, “Get out of my office, Cadet McCoy.”

“Doctor McCoy,” he snapped and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Pike knew it was going to be an interesting night in the McCoy-Kirk dorm room.

+++

McCoy was staring at a bottle of premium whiskey on his desk. He wanted a stiff drink after the conversation with Pike, but the conversation he was contemplating with Jim needed him to be sober. The kid was quick and McCoy needed all synapses firing.

Jim walked into the room and stopped full stride. He looked at McCoy, tilted his head to the side, and frowned. “What did Pike do?”

“Shit,” McCoy groaned.

McCoy hadn’t had time to let Jim know he had been summoned by Pike. There was a chance that Jim could have found out some other way, but it wasn’t likely. He had no idea what to say to him, but he knew one thing. They had always told the truth whether it hurt or not. It was the basis for everything they shared.

“Pike thinks you’re some sort of psychic.”

“That all?”

“Said you mentally marked me as yours.”

McCoy waited for an emotional and physical explosion. He was fully expecting a fist smashed into his face or into a wall. When McCoy glanced up, Jim was watching him carefully.

“You have a problem with that, Bones?”

McCoy stood up and stalked over to Jim. He grasped the back of Jim’s neck, digging his fingers into his skin and pulled him closer. McCoy smashed their mouths together in a hungry kiss. Jim’s arms wrapped around McCoy’s waist, open palms resting on his lower back. They kissed until the room was nearly spinning. McCoy shrugged his shoulders, still grasping Jim’s neck. He leaned close and rested their foreheads together.

“Not really,” he whispered gruffly. He grabbed Jim’s hand moving it down to the bulge in his pants. “Don’t have to be a mind reader to figure out I want you.”

“Wait. Wait, don’t tell me! I sense you’re…” Kirk made McCoy groan. “Horny.”

END.


End file.
